DEPARTMENT OF STATE --------------- Memorandum of Conversation
DATE: April 4, 1950
Confidential
SUBJECT: North Atlantic Community
PARTICIPANTS: Senator Kefauver \(D\), Tennessee The Secretary of State Assistant Secretary McFall T. C. Achilles, WE
COPIES TO: S/S, U, G, UNA, EUR, RA, BNA, WE.
I asked Senator Kefauver to call in the belief that a frank discussion with him would be preferable to a written reply to his letter of March 21 asking that we give further consideration to the Atlantic Union Resolution.
I began by stating that we were working in the same direction as he was although not as fast as he would presumably like. The main purpose of the May Foreign Ministers meetings would be to work out with the British, French and other parties to the North Atlantic treaty a common approach to common problems. The precarious British financial position colored their thought on every subject, they were troubled by Commonwealth problems such as that between India and Pakistan, by sterling balances and by conflicting demands between domestic and foreign expenditure. Any "constitutional" approach to greater unity would, in my opinion, scare the British while much could be accomplished in achieving unity of purpose and action.
I said that what we hoped to achieve in the North Atlantic community was maximum political unity with permanent executive direction, in the sense of reaching agreement on common policies and coordinated action to carry them out. This would require something in the nature either of a permanent council or an executive director with a permanent staff or both. We would also undertake a start toward closer economic collaboration in the North Atlantic community. It seemed better to develop concrete unity of purpose and action rather than to begin by consideration of constitutional changes.
Senator Kefauver expressed interest and agreement with what we had in mind but questioned whether a piece meal approach would be adequate or whether what we had in mind could be explained in simple enough terms to the American and other peoples adequately to capture their imagination. I agreed that the last point was important and expressed the hope that we could do so.
Senator Kefauver referred to Congressional and public doubts as to where our foreign policy was really leading and thought that these doubts might be even more serious next year unless a clear and simple sense of direction were given to the people. He mentioned particularly objection to appropriations for foreign aid when benefits to farmers and other domestic groups were being reduced. I said that we were trying and would continue to try to make clear the direction in which we were working.
Dean Acheson
EUR:WE:TCAchilles:bsm